SB 5.24.31 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

ततोऽधस्तात्पाताले नागलोकपतयो वासुकिप्रमुखा: शङ्खकुलिकमहाशङ्खश्वेतधनञ्जयधृतराष्ट्रशङ्खचूडकम्बलाश्वतरदेवदत्तादयो महाभोगिनो महामर्षा निवसन्ति येषामु ह वै पञ्चसप्तदशशतसहस्रशीर्षाणां फणासु विरचिता महामणयो रोचिष्णव: पातालविवरतिमिरनिकरं स्वरोचिषा विधमन्ति ॥ ३१ ॥

Verse text

tato ’dhastāt pātāle nāga-loka-patayo vāsuki-pramukhāḥ śaṅkha-kulika-mahāśaṅkha-śveta-dhanaṣjaya-dhṛtarāṣṭra-śaṅkhacūḍa-kambalāśvatara-devadattādayo mahā-bhogino mahāmarṣā nivasanti yeṣām u ha vai paṣca-sapta-daśa-śata-sahasra-śīrṣāṇāṁ phaṇāsu viracitā mahā-maṇayo rociṣṇavaḥ pātāla-vivara-timira-nikaraṁ sva-rociṣā vidhamanti.

Synonyms

tataḥ adhastāt — beneath that planet Rasātala ; pātāle — on the planet known as Pātāla ; nāga — loka — patayaḥ — the masters of the Nāgalokas ; vāsuki — by Vāsuki ; pramukhāḥ — headed ; śaṅkha — Śaṅkha ; kulika — Kulika ; mahā — śaṅkha — Mahāśaṅkha ; śveta — Śveta ; dhanaṣjaya — Dhanaṣjaya ; dhṛtarāṣṭra — Dhṛtarāṣṭra ; śaṅkha — cūḍa — Śaṅkhacūḍa ; kambala — Kambala ; aśvatara — Aśvatara ; deva — datta — Devadatta ; ādayaḥ — and so on ; mahā — bhoginaḥ — very addicted to material happiness ; mahā — amarṣāḥ — greatly envious by nature ; nivasanti — live ; yeṣām — of all of them ; u ha — certainly ; vai — indeed ; paṣca — five ; sapta — seven ; daśa — ten ; śata — one hundred ; sahasra — one thousand ; śīrṣāṇām — of those possessing hoods ; phaṇāsu — on those hoods ; viracitāḥ — fixed ; mahā — maṇayaḥ — very valuable gems ; rociṣṇavaḥ — full of effulgence ; pātāla — vivara — the caves of the Pātāla planetary system ; timira — nikaram — the mass of darkness ; sva — rociṣā — by the effulgence of their hoods ; vidhamanti — disperse .

Translation

Beneath Rasātala is another planetary system, known as Pātāla or Nāgaloka, where there are many demoniac serpents, the masters of Nāgaloka, such as Śaṅkha, Kulika, Mahāśaṅkha, Śveta, Dhanaṣjaya, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Śaṅkhacūḍa, Kambala, Aśvatara and Devadatta. The chief among them is Vāsuki. They are all extremely angry, and they have many, many hoods — some snakes five hoods, some seven, some ten, others a hundred and others a thousand. These hoods are bedecked with valuable gems, and the light emanating from the gems illuminates the entire planetary system of bila-svarga.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Below Rasātala, in Pātāla, reside the leaders of Nāga-loka, such as Śaṅkha, Kulika, Mahāśaṅkha, Śveta, Dhanaṣjaya, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Śaṅkhacūḍa, Kambala, Aśvatara and Devadatta, headed by Vāsuki. They have many hoods and are very envious. The shining jewels fixed on five, seven, ten, a hundred or a thousand hoods, light up the darkness of the caves of Pātāla with their effulgence. Mahā-bhoginaḥ means “having many hoods.” Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Twenty-five Glories of Ananta 5.25: The Glories of Lord Ananta 25. The Glories of Lord Ananta 5.25 Summary In this chapter, Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Ananta, the source of Lord Śiva. Lord Ananta, whose body is completely spiritual, resides at the root of the planet Pātāla. He always lives in the core of Lord Śiva's heart, and He helps him destroy the universe. Ananta instructs Lord Śiva how to destroy the cosmos, and thus He is sometimes called tāmasī, or "one who is in the mode of darkness." He is the original Deity of material consciousness, and because He attracts all living entities, He is sometimes known as Saṅkarṣaṇa. The entire material world is situated on the hoods of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa. From His forehead He transmits to Lord Śiva the power to destroy this material world. Because Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa is an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, many devotees offer Him prayers, and in the planetary system of Pātāla, all the suras, asuras, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas and learned sages offer Him their respectful obeisances. The Lord talks with them in a sweet voice. His bodily construction is completely spiritual and very, very beautiful. Anyone who hears about Him from a proper spiritual master becomes free from all material conceptions of life. The entire material energy is working according to the plans of Anantadeva. Therefore we should regard Him as the root cause of the material creation. There is no end to His strength, and no one can fully describe Him, even with countless mouths. Therefore He is called Ananta (unlimited). Being very merciful toward all living entities, He has exhibited His spiritual body. Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the glories of Anantadeva to Mahārāja Parīkṣit in this way.

Purport

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twenty-fourth Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Subterranean Heavenly Planets.”